Electrically heated garment and portable battery therefor



Feb. 29, 1944. w MCCREADY 2,342,744

ELECTRICALLY HEATED GARMENT AND PORTABLE BATTERY THEREFOR Filed Oct. 10, 1942 I STORAGE BATTERY M4444: Mo 05E417? A Patented Feb. 29, 1944 ELECTRICALLY HEATED GARMENT AND ronraann BATTERY maanroa William w. McCready, Boston, Mass. Application October 10, 1942, Serial No. 461,586

2 Claims. (Cl. 219-46) This invention relates to an electrically heated garment and portable battery therefor, and has for one of its objects the production or a simple and efllcient means for connecting the battery to the garment in such a way as to facilitate the release of the battery from the sleeve of the garment merely by dropping the battery-carrying case from the hand of the operator.

Another object of this invention is the production of a simple and efllcient electrically heated garment wherein the source of electrical supply in the nature of a storage battery is carried in a hand-carrying case having a switch adjacent the handle thereof and wherein detachable leads extend from the switch to the garment to facilitate quick and convenient attachment and detachment.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear throughout the following specification and claims.

In the'drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the batten-ca rying case in an operative position relative to a garment;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view illustrating a portion of the sleeve of a garment, and a portion=of the carrying case with a battery in position and also illustrating thedsbattery leads detached from the garment lea By referring to the drawing, itwill be seen that E A designates an electrically heated garment, wherein the heating element Ill may be of any conventional type. The garment A is provided with a sleeve II from which sleeve ll depends two flexible leads I! which are connected to the heating element ID. A plug I3 is carried by each lead l2, as shown in Figure 2, and these flexible leads I! and plugs l3 depend from the sleeve II. A battery-carrying case M is provided, which carries a storage or other battery it which is connected to a switch l8 mounted upon the topofthe case I. A case-carrying handle I! is mounted upon the top of the case ll adjacent the switch i6 and the switch lever I8 is mounted upon the switch It in a position near the forward end of the handle I! where the lever l8 may be easily reached by the thumb of the operator when the operator grips the handle I! with his hand. The switch It may be easily turned on or oil! at the will of the operator to regulate the amount of heat in the garment A. Flexible leads [9 extend from the switch I and are provided with sockets 20 for receiving the plugs Hi to connect the source of electrical supply to the garment A. The plugs I3 depend from the sleeve II and the sockets 20 extend upwardly to receive the plugs- II and the plugs l3 will retain contact with the sockets 20 while the handle I! and case It are supported by the wearer of the garment A. If it is desired, when the grip ofthe wearer of the garment A is released the weight o1 the case It will automatically pull the sockets 20 away from the plugs l3 thereby automatically breaking contact and releasing the case and battery from the garment without the necessity of the wearer individually separating the plugs and sockets. The battery I! and case I may in this way be easily and quickly separated from the garment A, when desired, for instance when the wearer enters a building and desires to remove the coat or garment A, and to be assured that the current from the battery I5 is disconnected from the garment. At other times the current may be cut of! by operating the lever I8 of the switch I8.

I am aware that it is old to provide a thermal garment with contacts whereby electric current is passed through wires, but I do not claim broadly such a construction. My purpose is to facilitate the attachment of a battery within a hand-carrying case which battery is connected to the garment at the lower end of the sleeve thereof by pulling apart plugs, as described above and illustrated in the drawing.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In combination with a thermal garment having heating wires therein, 'a sleeve comprising a part of said garment, of flexible leads depending from the'sleeve of said garment, a battery-carry ing case having a handle on the top thereof adapted to be gripped by the hand of a wearer of the garment, a switch located near one end of said handle, a battery in saidcase, means connecting the battery to said-switch, and pull-apart plugs connecting the switch with said leads for automatically disconnecting said battery from said thermal garment when the wearer of the garment releases his grip from the handle and drops the case.

2. The combination of a thermal garment having heating wires therein, a portable electrical supply means detachably connected with the heating wires within the thermal garment, means for facilitating the holding of the portable electrical supply element in electrical contact with the heating wires of the garment, and the portable electrical supply element being adapted to automatically disconnect from the heating wires within the garment when said last mentioned means is released.

WILLIAM W. McCREADY. 

